Heartfelt Affections
by Mythical Leo
Summary: An assassin, a rich girl and another Kuruta. What do they all have in common? They want revenge on the Genei Ryodan. Read and find out how these three girls complete the hunter exam as well as challenges thrown at them. Pairing: KilluaXOC & GonXOC R&R. Hope you enjoy
1. Prologue: Assassin x Rich Girl x Kuruta

**Heartfelt Affection**

**Author's Note:** Yay, new Hunter X Hunter fanfic has now been released! *does happy dance*. I would like to explain some things since this account is a shared account. I am the one with another account (surprise!). I am mostly doing it from my OC's point of view since there's going to be three main OCs' and it's going to get confusing if I keep on changing it, and I'm keeping the names simple since it would be hard to keep on trying to figure out who is who, so my First Friend's (the friend who shares the account with me) OC and my Second Friends (the one who has no idea what Hunter X Hunter is, but adding anyway) OC is going to be in English, and my OC is going to have a Japanese name. The character descriptions below will explain.

**My OC:**

Name: Tsukiko Kinoshita

Age: 12

Appearance: blue-gray hair with bangs tied into plaits and the rest up in a high ponytail tied with another two plaits, pale skin.

**First Friend's (the one who shares account) OC:**

Name: Echo Towaru

Age: 12

Appearance: silver hair tied into two side ponytails, bright aquamarine eyes, lightly tan skin.

**Second Friend's (the one who has no idea what Hunter X Hunter is, but adding anyway) OC:**

Current Name: Leslie Gale (she wanted a gay name and so I gave her one)

Real Name: Bridget Kuruta

Age: 12

Appearance: light blonde hair pulled into a high side ponytail, sapphire blue eyes, pale skin.

Now that's it for the introduction!

**Disclaimer:** Hunter X Hunter belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi.

**Prologue: Assassin x Rich Girl x Kuruta**

**Normal P.O.V:**

-bang-

A gunshot echoed through the night, causing chaos, turmoil and panic in all the hearts of the people in the room. People stood up and ran about. Some ran into each other, some were huddled in a corner and some screamed there heads of running about. None were aware of the young 12-year old girl at the glass dome at the very top of the building. If they calmed down and looked closely or actually had 20/20 vision, they would be able see her. But it was natural human instinct to act like how the people did there… most anyway.

**Tsukiko P.O.V:**

I sighed. I was bored after I sniped my target from the glass dome of the newly built structure. I glanced down and saw the panicking people down there and became interested. I put down my rifle and lie down.

_What an interesting reaction._ I thought with an amused expression showing on my face.

I soon got bored and started star-gazing. I knew that the alarms would've gone off and they would be searching for the assassin, but who would suspect an innocent twelve year old?

_Except that innocent twelve year old isn't actually innocent, but guilty._

I spotted the constellation Leo and instantly felt relaxed. After all, I am a Leo.

_Not the prey, but the hunter._

I spotted numerous other constellations, but I couldn't peel my eyes off that particular one. After a while, I was finally able to stop looking at it after one particular thought.

_I should get going now. Tsubasa would be expecting me back home._

I stood up and jumped off the dome in one swift action. I landed on both of my feet without bending my knees silently. After all, assassins were meant to be silent and deadly. I walked silently out of the surrounding grounds, away from the noise and panic.

I arrived at the mansion in a mere 5 minutes even though it was about 50 kilometres away. I skidded to a halt at the iron gates which was that only entrance visible around the premises. There were many underground tunnels which led into the house, but they were reserved for emergency purposes only. I was a bit surprised to find that the gates were slightly open because they were always locked and I always had to use the skeleton key that Tsubasa gave me. I got a very bad feeling, and those feelings were usually true. I couldn't shrug my suspicion off. I pushed the gate open and slipped through. I winced at the tiny squeak it made because it sounded very loud due to the silence. I made my way to the front door and I found out that my suspicion was correct. The door was slightly ajar once again. I made sure that the door didn't make any noise when I opened it and was relieved that it didn't. I crept silently inside, melting into the shadows so nobody could see me. As I reached the door to the room where Tsubasa spent most of his time in, I was horrified at the bizarre scene that greeted me. The maids and other servants were lying on the floor, eyes rolled inwards, showing the whites of their eyes and what I presumed dead. My heart thudded rapidly, but I refused to let myself panic. The employees were specially trained so that they would kill any intruders, if somebody could kill them all, they must be very strong. I heard muffled voices from the room ahead of me with light spilling through the gaps. I crept closer and placed my head against the door, trying to eaves drop the conversation that was currently being held inside. I was able to get a clearer sound of the voices, but their conversation horrified me.

"So what are we going to do with this guy?" asked a male voice.

"Just leave him. We were able to retrieve the items which he had, so we can return back to danchou now." Someone replied.

"Kay'." The first person agreed.

There was the sound of a window opening and I heard the faint sound of the two people landing. I waited a few moments until I was sure they were gone before I burst open the door to the room. My face went slack with shock. There, in the centre of the room, was Tsubasa, lying on the floor bathed in his own fresh blood. There were countless slashes on him and you could tell that he had struggled and put up a fight. The job looked rushed and messy like the person was hurrying so they could quickly finish it and escape. I rushed over to his side and immediately searched for a pulse, expecting none at all. It surprised me when I did find a pulse beating in his neck. It didn't satisfy me because I knew he was going to die of blood loss soon, a few minutes at most. I placed his head on my lap, ignoring the blood which was now staining my clothing and splattered on my skin. He shifted in my hold and painfully lifted his heavy eyelids, grimacing at all the effort it took him to do just that one little movement. I knew he felt useless and helpless.

"Kar-r-ri." He stuttered, coughing up blood immediately afterwards.

"Shh. Don't try to speak, it'll only hurt more." I told him, unable to keep the wobble out of my voice. He gave me a weak smile and a tear slid down my cheek. He reached his hand towards my face and wiped it away.

"I-I n-need t-t-to t-ell y-you s-s-some-th-thing." He said in a rasp voice. Before I could reply, he continued.

"I-I w-was th-the one who k-killed y-y-your c-care-t-taker." He told me.

"I already knew that." I whispered, a tear fell of my cheek and landed on his.

"I-is th-that s-s-so?" he said. I nodded.

"I a-also w-want t-to t-tell y-y-you th-that y-your f-f-father is a-a v-very f-f-famous h-h-hunter. I-I c-can't t-t-tell y-you e-every-th-thing n-now, s-so t-take th-this k-key t-to f-f-find m-more i-in-information." He informed me. He shifted uncomfortably into a new position to give me the key. I accepted it and slipped it into the pocket of my jacket and he resumed his original position.

"W- well, I w-want t-to t-tell y-you my k-killer, but y-you h-have t-t-to p-promise n-not t-to a-avenge m-me."

"Okay." I promise. I knew that I shouldn't make promises I couldn't keep, but I had to know the one who murdered him. He was the only one I had left in this cold miserable world that only held pain, loneliness and sorrow, and now I was about to lose him as well.

"I-I m-mean i-it K-k-kari." I felt a pang of guilt as I knew that I was going to betray his last wish. I gave a slight nod.

"The Genei Ryodan." He whispered without stuttering this time, blood dripped from his mouth instead though. I gasped.

"But why would they want to kill you?" I demanded. He opened his mouth, only to release another spurt of blood. I knew that his time was coming to an end.

"R-remember t-t-that I w-will al-always b-be w-w-watching o-over y-y-you." He told me. He smiled and his eyes fluttered shut. The hand which he had held out to me grew heavier as I was still grasping onto it, refusing to let go of it. It soon dropped from my hold and returned to his side. I cradled him in my arms and wept.

"No. No. NO! You cannot leave me Tsubasa. I refuse. Even if you killed the person who looked after me as a mother, you're still the only person I have left!" I cried. I heard the faint rustle of clothing and looked up. A man stared back at me and froze. I narrowed my gaze into a glare. We stared into one another eyes for what seem like eternity, but in truth was only a split-second. He jumped off the window once again, leaving me to stare after him in resent. He was definitely one of the murderers. I rubbed my tears, but only resulted in smudging blood on my face. I stood up, leaving Tsubasa to lie on the floor in a peaceful manner and walked out, leaving his next client to find him dead. My footsteps left blood on the floor and people would probably follow it, but they wouldn't find me.

_I'm sorry Tsubasa. I can't keep your promise. I'm going to become a hunter, seek out my father and hunt down the Genei Ryodan._

**Echo's P.O.V:**

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping and sunlight filling my room. My personal maid, Sakura, had set my breakfast to the left side of my bed and drew the curtains open. She glanced back, her strawberry blonde hair now turning into a pinkish-golden hue in the light surrounding her. It contrasted her hazel-blue eyes very well. I stretched and yawned.

"Good morning Young Mistress." Sakura said politely.

"Morning, Sakura." I replied dreamily.

She gave a curt nod as she waited patiently for me to finish eating my breakfast of tea and scones. After I finished, I got out of bed and stood. Sakura went over to my wardrobe and got out a blue dress with white silk ruffles. She got a matching pair of stockings and blue shoes with heels and ribbons. She helped me into my clothes and I walked over to a drawer and got out a blue and white headdress that matched the dress and had blue silk ribbons which draped over the sides of my head. I sat down and Sakura tied my long silver into two ponytails. I put on the headdress and stood up.

"What's my schedule for today?" I asked Sakura graciously, all traces of early morning reactions gone.

"You're free to do whatever you want. You've got no work today Young Mistress." She informed me. I cocked my head to one side and glanced outside.

"Is that so? Well, the weather is fine today, so why don't we go on a picnic?" I suggested.

"If that's what you want," Sakura said.

"We shall do."

I had given up on making Sakura more informal with me because that had ended unsuccessfully. I was unable to continue my childish ways even though I was only twelve years old because I needed to become a proper lady. My governess had always scolded me for acting so cheeky and unladylike when I was younger.

"Prepare the necessary procedures." I told her. Sakura curtsied and disappeared.

_How do they do that?_

I sat down on the picnic rug that Sakura had prepared and laid down. I stared at the clouds and closed my eyes, letting the sounds of nature overwhelm me. It had been a long time since the last time I had felt so peaceful.

_The last time being when my parents were still alive._

I heard footsteps approaching me and uncovered my hands slightly so I got a better view of my new accomplice. It was Sakura. She sat down beside my and looked more relaxed than I've ever seen her before. I sat up and took a piece of cake. I put a spoonful of it into my mouth and began to chew. It was a lemon cheesecake, one of my favourites. The silence between us stretched until the end of the picnic. After all the food had been consumed, I stood up and dusted my clothing for anything that had unintentionally clung to me.

"Shall we go now?" Sakura asked, suddenly standing beside me. I nodded. I didn't know that when I got back, I was in for a surprise.

The first sign of something bad happening was the smell of burning. It grew stronger with every step. I threw a worried glance at Sakura who was anxious to get back. She sure was emotionless for a sixteen year old and it was very rare for her to display any emotions at all. I was first to see what happened. As I turned the last corner which led to the garden where I would usually return from going out on adventures encouraged by curiosity, I was shocked to see the mansion set ablaze; the very same mansion which I had spent almost my whole entire life in. I stood there gaping and was too late to get out of the way of the deadly needle. I only noticed it when it was only five inches away. My face went slack with shock and my hands instantly covered my face in a protective motion. I felt an impact which pushed me onto the ground. I looked up and saw Sakura shielding me with her body, her shoulder length hair tumbled freely from its usual neat bun and a light cut had penetrated her flawless skin and blood oozed out despite the fact that a cut like that couldn't draw blood. She got off me and pulled me up before I could react. She pushed me to the side and eyed me urgently.

"Young Mistress, you have to escape now. Don't look back or come back. If you do, you'll die." She warned me. I scrambled back up after I had fallen to my knees from her rough shove. I could still feel the pain of the rocks digging into my skin and creating scars which would stay on me for a while, but ignored it.

"Hurry!" Sakura roared. I nodded, fearful of the current situation and how Sakura was now reacting. I raced back the same course Sakura and I had travelled through in my ripped and blood stained dress. Thank goodness I had brought my bag which held my purse and other essential needs. I also had my bank card which would allow me access to my bank account and family money, so I would be able to purchase another dress. I heard a conversation which had begun which I was surprise to hear.

"How naughty of you to tell my target who I was supposed to assassinate to run away." Said a monotonous voice behind me whom I assumed was my assassin.

"Shut up! Tell me who your employer is!" Sakura demanded.

"Well since you're going to die anyway, I might as well tell you. It's the Genei Ryodan." said the man. I gasped.

_The infamous group also known as the spider troupe?_

After hearing this, I knew that the assassin sent was Illumi Zoldyeck; the eldest son in the Zoldyeck family. This just encouraged me to run as fast as my legs would take me.

_Why would the Genei Ryodan want me dead though?_

I remembered the day when my parents died. I shook my head to shake the idea off. It was impossible. Then the silliest realisation I could think about at the moment happened.

_I can now go back to being cheeky._

**Leslie P.O.V:**

The auction that was held once every leap year in Helsway had just begun. It was one of the biggest auctions in the world and all of the community was required to attend or participate in the auction, regardless of their status. The rich mingled with the poor and average, but they had an entire floor to themselves, so the rest of the people were crowded. I didn't want to come, but I was required to. The last time I had come, I had lost sight of my adoptive parents and ended up around the place crying out 'Mum!' and 'Dad!'. I received many sympathetic gazes from people who had passed by, but none had stopped to help. This time I clung to the sleeve of my adoptive mother's jacket. Many people stared at me. I understood why though. It was not an everyday sight that you saw a girl who looked like a delicate porcelain doll. I seriously looked nothing like my adoptive parents. I remembered how there were many rich people back at the orphanage who had wanted to adopt me badly, but I stubbornly refused each one. I only agreed to being adopted by my current parents. I was named 'Leslie' by my new parents and was teased non-stop for it for about a year before the other children grew tired of me ignoring them and coming up with great comebacks. I didn't blame my parents though. They just had a bad knack for coming up with weird names. For instance, who would name a cat Goldfish despite the fact that its' fur was orange? Too bad Goldfish died two years ago. As my adoptive parents and I took our seats which we were lucky to find in the front row, the lights dimmed and silence fell.

"Hello ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Helsway auction held every four years! We hope you enjoy the items for auction this year!" the voice of a man boomed through loudspeakers around the room. I covered my ears from receiving any further damage.

"The first item we have today is the game 'Greed Island'! A game created and design for and by hunters! There are very few copies of this game and it is rumoured that if you die in the game, you die in real life too! So I advise only brave souls to buy this." He continued. Numerous bids were put for it and someone finally rose to an amount of money which no one could put up against, but I wasn't interested. I was just thinking about the last bit the auctioneer had spoken

"_It is rumoured that if you die in the game, you die in real life too!" Who the hell would want to by a game like that?! However, it fascinates me. Why would you die in real life too?_

I was snapped out of my train of thoughts by the auctioneer's voice which was starting to irritate me. My eyebrows twitched.

"The next item up for sale is the scarlet eyes! An item for collectors. The scarlet eyes originally belonged to the Kuruta clan that was massacred five years back by the Genei Ryodan. The starting price is 3 billion zennies!" he informed.

_Kuruta clan?_

As I thought that, my vision became red and I gripped my mother's sleeve tighter from panic.

_What's going on?!_

Just as I thought that, my vision went blurry and my thoughts went fuzzy as I plunged into a deep black abyss.

**Dream:**

"_Bridget, hurry up! We have to go now!" a male voice urged me._

Bridget? Who's that?

"_Why?" I found myself replying. I looked up, still clutching my brown teddy bear in my hands. My silk white gown was now in tatters. I looked with fright in my eyes at the boy who was older than me by five years that had blonde hair and blue eyes which were now a beautiful scarlet colour. I wanted to open my mouth to reply, but was unable to. I then realised that this was a memory from my past which I had lost five years ago._

"_We just have to." He told me with exasperation_

"_But nii-chan!" I complained. I wanted an explanation for why we were leaving._

"_I'll tell you later." He said as though reading my mind. As we ran through the house where I had spent most of my life in, we passed by a broken mirror shard, I was shocked to see that I too had scarlet red eyes._

"_Nii-chan, where's my older brother?" I asked. When my past self had asked this, I knew that this boy, who I had suspected was my older brother before, was in fact my real older brother's best friend. He bit his lips._

"_Narumi will join up with us later." He told me._

_But my older brother 'Narumi' never turned up._

"…lie, Leslie, LESLIE!" a voice called, rocking me at the same time.

"Hmm?" I went sleepily. My adoptive mother sighed.

"The auction has ended." She informed me. I bolted upright to find that she was correct. The people who had attended were now emptying the room.

"Let's go then." I said happily, jumping off my seat and skipping to the exit. My adoptive parents chuckled lightly, but I knew that they were puzzled at their adoptive daughter's behaviour and enthusiasm because she was the silent type. They decided to shrug it off in the end though.

**Later At Night That Same Day:**

I silently packed my duffel bag, ready to go somewhere else. I was careful not to make any noise so that I wouldn't wake up my adoptive parents. I was so concentrated on it that I didn't notice the sound of my bedroom door opening and only realised when the lights flickered on. I flinched.

_Oh Shit. Looks like I've been found out._

I looked sheepishly up at the two adults looming over me.

"Why are you packing up in the middle of the night?" demanded my father. I directed my gaze to my mother who was next to him with a pleading expression. Too bad she was siding with my father on this.

"I agree with your father young lady. Now tell us why you were packing. It's like you're leaving or something." She said sternly. I looked down at the fingers I was fiddling with.

"I'm going to participate in the hunter exam this year." I told them after deciding to give them my real reason. They gasped.

"No you are not. It's to dangerous." Disagreed my now worried mother. I looked up angrily.

"Yes I am, and I'm not going to let you two stop me! I just found out my real identity and what my destiny is that fate had in stall for me." I shouted angrily. I stood up, knocking the chair which I was sitting on, and stormed out with my packed belonging, leaving my two horrified adoptive parents gaping after their adoptive daughter.

_I'm sorry mum, dad, I have to do this. And Genei Ryodan, watch out…_

**A/N:** So how was the prologue? I did one from each of their P.O.V so you know why they want to become hunters. I guess this is like an introduction? Oh well. Look forward to future chapters~


	2. 1: Leaving x Meeting x Friends

**Heartfelt Affection**

**Author's Note:** Second chapter. YAY! Now the real story begins. MWUAHAHAHAHA *cough* *cough* sorry about that. I'll leave the description of the OCs' below as a guide. Hope you enjoy~

**My OC:**

Name: Tsukiko Kinoshita

Age: 12

Appearance: blue-gray hair with bangs tied into plaits and the rest up in a high ponytail tied with another two plaits, pale skin.

**First Friend's (the one who shares account) OC:**

Name: Echo Towaru

Age: 12

Appearance: silver hair tied into two side ponytails, bright aquamarine eyes, lightly tan skin.

**Second Friend's (the one who has no idea what Hunter X Hunter is, but adding anyway) OC:**

Current Name: Leslie Gale (she wanted a gay name and so I gave her one)

Real Name: Bridget Kuruta

Age: 12

Appearance: light blonde hair pulled into a high side ponytail, sapphire blue eyes, pale skin.

**Disclaimer:** Hunter X Hunter belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi.

**Chapter 1: Leaving x Meeting x Friends**

**Tsukiko P.O.V:**

I stepped into the blinding light of a new morning. I squinted and raised an arm to block the light. I was wearing black converses, tight jeans, and a black hoodie with a zip that I had zipped to the very top. I was wearing a purple blouse underneath which had a spaghetti strap and was tight around the chest and at the bottom of it which allowed me to adjust it underneath my hoodie perfectly. I pulled the hoodie over my head to block the suns glare and tucked loose strands behind my ears and hiding them under the hoodie, grabbed my three duffle bags and slung them over my shoulder. One of them contained most of my belongings like clothing, books, stationery, etc… and my second one contained any handy weapons that I could wield like guns, a few sniper rifles, knives and daggers, tazers, poison, etc… and my last bag? Well that's a secret that I'm not willing to share because of embarrassment (me: Aww, come on. It's such a cute weakness. Hikari: *blush* Urusai!), but you're going to find out in the near future. The hotel I had stayed at was a first-class hotel. I had taken all the money from the mansion and also had access to whatever amount of money Tsubasa had left in the bank, which was quite a lot; scratch that, it was more than three lifetimes amount of money, possibly more. I also went to the library and used a hunter license I had no idea Tsubasa had to enter the hunters' website. I thought for a while and typed in 'Kinoshita' which was my last name in hopes it would get me a result – who knew I was so clueless? – and it did. The name 'Shigure Kinoshita' popped up everywhere. I clicked on a random link and the words 'This Person's Information Is Classified' popped up onto the screen.

_Well that was useless._

I was about to exit the screen when I spotted some tiny writing at the bottom of the page. Without thinking, I scrolled down and clicked it.

'Insert Key'

This left me confused. What was the key and where do I insert it? My eyes flickered around and landed on a keyhole at the same place I inserted the hunter license. An idea formed in my head and I pulled out my skeleton key. I placed it inside and waited for it to unlock whatever it was meant to unlock. I waited three minutes and when nothing happened, I pulled out the key and frowned. It didn't work. It seemed like it was somehow protected. Then I remembered the key that Tsubasa had handed me last night and I hesitated before bringing it out. I pulled it out from one of the many pockets in my jeans and inserted it in. It was a perfect fit. I slowly turned it in the keyhole and heard a click.

'Do you wish to continue? Yes or No'

I moved the mouse and clicked yes.

**Shigure Kinoshita.**

**There are no pictures of him as this hunter is quite a secretive one.**

**Not much information is known about him.**

**Shigure is a three star hunter.**

**He is said to have been the famous hunter Ging Freecss best friends and is part of his group.**

**It is unknown whether he has had relationships with any woman or has any children.**

_Well that barely told me anything. In fact I think I knew more than it! At least it gave me a lead._

Now all I had to do was figure out who this 'Ging Freecss' person was. I glanced at my watch and realised I was going to be late for the boat.

"Oh shit!" I exclaimed. And that brings us back to where we left off.

After I slung the three bags onto my shoulder, I darted through the crowd and into gaps and entered an alleyway. It took too long on the main street, so I decided to jump roof tops. It was much more fun anyway. In no time at all, I had reached the dock. The ship was just about to take off and I was lucky that it was still far enough for me to jump on. I jumped and landed gracefully without a noise on the deck and surveyed my surroundings. I realised that everybody here were men and sighed. I was really hoping I could find a girl to keep me company. I wouldn't have befriended her because I didn't want to get caught up in any relationships, but she would have made a good travelling companion. I scanned the crowd again and caught sight of someone with bright blonde hair. As if sensing somebody was watching them, they turned around and looked straight in my direction. My entire mood lightened up. It was a girl. She had deep blue eyes that seemed to have a mischievous glint in it and she wore a flowing sky blue dress which faded into midnight blue when it reached the bottom which was only thigh length. She also had pure white socks reaching from just above the knee and blue heels that look mature but cute. I made my way over to her and greeted her.

"Hello, nice to meet you. Are you also going to participate in this year's hunter exam too?" I asked. She nodded and turned around. I pouted underneath the hoodie which hid my face. I remembered that earlier I had decided to act like a guy because I didn't want my gender discovered. Anyway, the thing was she certainly didn't seem want any company right now, but I didn't give up.

"I'm Rei, what's your name?" I asked her in a deep boyish voice, tilting my head to the side. She turned her focus back to me and studied me, trying to determine why I was trying to converse with her. She decided to trust me and held out her hand with a polite smile on her face.

"Leslie."

I took her hand and shook it, understanding that it was a gesture of making acquaintances. We leant on the ships rail and continued to talk, oblivious to all the guys around us wondering why two children were trying out for the hunters' exam, especially since one was a girl (little did they know the other one was also a female) and tried to catch out attention by mocking us, but failing miserably.

"Why do you have such a funny name?" I asked Leslie. She shrugged.

"My adoptive parents name me that. My real name is Bridget." She informed me. I arched a delicate hidden brow.

"Your adoptive parents seem to have a bad taste for naming." I admitted to her. She gave an airy chuckled, a sound that sounding like fairy's laughter.

"I don't blame them. It's exactly as you say, they struggle with coming up with names. I mean, who would name their cat Goldfish?" that sent the both of us into a fit of giggles, well just her, I was trying to stop myself from doing so, but my chest was shaking. A passerby gave us a weird look which just made her double over in laughter as I lifted my hand to my mouth and tried to disguise my laughter as a cough. When she finally finished giggling, she was breathing heavily and coughing. We looked at each other again and she burst out laughing once again. It took all of our might to calm ourselves down once again. Bridget was still giggling lightly and I steadied myself against the railing.

"I don't think I've ever seen someone laugh that hard in my whole entire life before." I told Bridget.

"I have. I've got a very terrible secret I'm willing to tell you even though we just met." She told me secretly. She motioned me closer and I shuffled closer to her.

"I always go hyper for one hour each day." She whispered, her hot breath against my ear (my friends wanted to include this XD). I had to cover my mouth to stifle another giggle and made a 'pfft' noise which sounded like someone farted; everybody wrinkled their noses, and I couldn't hold it in any longer. I started shaking with laughter, except I was laughing so hard, I wasn't making any noises at all, and then her laughing fit happened all over again.

"Laughing…so…hard…can't…breathe…" I panted, hands clutching my stomach.

"Me…too…" she agreed. She rested on the deck for a moment before standing up. That's when I spotted another ship that was only a tiny dot in the distance.

"Captain, is that another ship heading for the hunters' exam?" I asked loudly to the female captain. She was a pretty lady who was kind and had soft wavy chestnut brown hair flowing to the middle of her back and light greenish-hazel eyes. I had no idea why and how she became a hunter.

"It is. Lad, you have got really good vision to spot something that far away." The impressed captain praised me, sending a blush creeping onto my face. I wasn't use to being praised, and when I was, I never handled it very well. Then I froze and looked up at the seagulls flying overhead, squawking what seemed to be a warning. I tensed.

"A storm's heading our way, a really horrible one to be more precise." I informed the captain. She looked surprised.

"And how do you know that?" she questioned me slyly. I shifted my gaze back to the seagulls.

"That's what the gulls are saying." I said as if in a trance.

"How long before it hits?"

"A maximum of about two hours at most." I shrugged.

"So you can speak to gulls?" she asked me curiously. I shook my head.

"No. I just know what they're saying. Don't know how though." I replied.

"Well you're right." She told me, trying to surprise me I assumed.

"You can also taste it in the air, although it's really faint." I told her.

"You can smell it?" I nodded. She sniffed the air.

"I can't smell it. You must have extraordinary heightened senses which are more advanced than most peoples." She told me. I nodded once again in agreement again. The fruit of my assassin training, after all, all assassins needed to be aware of their surroundings and have heightened senses.

"Well at least your warning gives us enough time to prepare." Then she turned to the sailors and shouted, "Men, get ready for the approaching storm!"

She ushered everyone inside the ship and true enough, the storm came two hours later. The ship rocked mercilessly, sending people vomiting everywhere. The ship groaned from exhaustion and sounded like it couldn't take anymore. Wanting to get away from all the puking, I dragged Bridget outside to witness a first rate experience. Water surged forward, splashing onto the deck. Men rushed everywhere, trying to save the maiden (ships are all described as ladies). We stood behind the captain, overwhelmed by the storm.

"St. Elmo's Fire." I said in awe, surprising the captain.

"You've heard of it?" she asked me. I nodded.

"Legend has it that all who have come against it end up getting drowned." I explained.

"That is correct." The captain confirmed me.

"Rei-kun, are you sure you're not an encyclopaedia brought to life by a mad scientist?" joked Bridget, trying to sound worried.

"No I'm not, and call me Rei, Leslie-san." I corrected her. She pouted.

"Call me Bridget, Rei. I prefer to stick with my real name, no offence to my adoptive parents." She told me.

"You're not the best daughter are you BRIDGET." I told her, emphasising her name. She shot me a playful glare.

"You guys aren't taking it very seriously, are you?" the captain sweat dropped.

"Well it's going to end soon anyway." I said with a shrug.

"Is it now?" and as the question finished, the clouds started clearing away.

"I guess you were right." said the captain amusingly.

"What are your names?" she asked us.

"Rei Yasamana." I announced, nodding afterwards. Pretty good name to come up with on the spot right?

"Leslie Gale, but my real first name is Bridget" Leslie said with a blush. She didn't mention her real last name, but I pretended not to notice, however, I was still curious

"Pft. Gale." Bridget shot me a glare, but that didn't shut me up.

"Gale hahahaha, lol Bridget, Gale." I teased her.

"You're no different from the other children who teased me." She told me. I shrugged.

"But you're still sticking with me either way." I said with a smile. I knew she couldn't deny it so she hung her head in defeat.

"Aww. Don't worry Bridget." I comforted her, patting her head. The captain coughed, knowing that we had forgotten all about her.

"I am proud to announce that you two, Rei Yasamana and Leslie – I mean Bridget – Gale, have passed." She told us grandly.

"Huh?" Bridget and I said at the same time, dumbfounded. There was an idiot hair flicking up from the top of our heads, well, Bridget's head, my one was hidden, making the captain laugh.

"You two make quite the pair." She told us, making us both blush from embarrassment. The ship landed and we picked up our belonging as the other passengers all rushed off, glad to be back on land again.

As Leslie and I proceeded to leave, the captain stopped us.

"Wait. I want to tell you two a little shortcut." She told us with a twinkle in her green eyes. She pointed to a hill with a gigantic tree protruding from the top.

"Go that way and you'll find yourself at the exam in no time." We stood there gawking and she ushered us off her ship.

"Good luck to the both off you." She shouted back from the ship, now leaving to attend whatever business she had to attend at that time.

"Why would she tell us to go in that direction if our destination is in the opposite direction?" asked a puzzled Leslie to no one in particular. I shrugged.

"She must have a reason and I think we should, I mean, why would she lie to us? And she also told us we passed. I doubt she told any other participant that. It must be one of the hunter exam tricks." I said excitedly, a twinkle similar to the captains appearing in my eye.

"I say we trust the captain and go the way she told us to." I suggested. We nodded in agreement and set off

**A/N:** They haven't met Gon and co. yet. But they will soon :3 The ship Tsuki-chan (that's what I'm going to call her) saw in the distance was the ship that Gon, Leorio and Kurapika were on. They also haven't met Echo, but I'm planning for that to happen in the next chapter. I'm thinking about drawing them should I? BTW, leaving reviews would make me really happy~


	3. 2: Quiz x Thinking x Silence

**Heartfelt Affection**

**Author's Note:** Hehehehe. I like updating this fanfic. It's extremely fun! Lol. Bridget gets hyper one hour everyday, a suggestion made by her original creator. My friend thinks Leslie Gale is an extremely gay name! (sorry to all the Leslies and Gales out there. Please forgive me.) I hope you like this chapter, been updating non-stop even if I haven't got any reviews yet~

**My OC:**

Name: Tsukiko Kinoshita

Age: 12

Appearance: blue-gray hair with bangs tied into plaits and the rest up in a high ponytail tied with another two plaits, pale skin.

**First Friend's (the one who shares account) OC:**

Name: Echo Towaru

Age: 12

Appearance: silver hair tied into two side ponytails, bright aquamarine eyes, lightly tan skin.

**Second Friend's (the one who has no idea what Hunter X Hunter is, but adding anyway) OC:**

Current Name: Leslie Gale (she wanted a gay name and so I gave her one)

Real Name: Bridget Kuruta

Age: 12

Appearance: light blonde hair pulled into a high side ponytail, sapphire blue eyes, pale skin.

**Disclaimer:** Hunter X Hunter belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi.

**Chapter 2: Quiz x Thinking x Silence**

**Tsukiko P.O.V:**

Bridget and I stepped into what seemed to be a deserted town. The buildings looked abandoned, with boards nailed against doors and windows completing the look. Though it did look abandoned, I could hear the sound of breathing all around us, following us with every step. Dust blew around us, messing up Bridget's hair, but not mine because it was hidden underneath the comfort of my hoodie. There were many alleyways, but I could hear strange noises coming from every one. On our little journey here, we heard a painstaking scream which sounded like an unfortunate hunter being eaten or something. It sent shivers down my spine, making me shudder. I heard the shuffling of feet around us and suddenly a tiny old lady with only two front teeth and a staff stood in front of us, blocked our way. The people whom I had heard the breathing and shuffling of feet from gathered around her and made funny noises. They had gas masks which just made them appear funnier. Then the old lady spoke.

"Very interesting." She said calmly.

"Huh?" Bridget and I said dumbly. A tumble weed from those cowboy movies rolled pass.

"THE EXCITING QUIZ OF TWO ANSWERS!" she exclaimed, surprising us both. Her minions clapped enthusiastically. Bridget and I clung to each other desperately like we were both life lines and if we let go of each other, we would die. I was surprised that an old lady could make such a loud noise. We let go of each other. I am really good at acting aren't I? Getting into this character is actually pretty fun…not that I'll admit it.

"What exciting quiz of two answers?" I asked her politely.

"You're heading for the tree on the mountain aren't you?" she asked. We nodded.

"First you have to succeed in getting out of this town," she started.

"Okay…" we said slowly, encouraging her to continue by showing her that we were listening.

"Other paths that lead you are labyrinths, in which reign terrible, blood-thirsty monsters." She continued.

"Mhmm…" we voiced. If we had said anything, our voices would have betrayed us by quivering, well, Bridget anyway.

"So I will ask you one question. You will only have five seconds to consider your answer." She informed us.

"WHAT! Only five seconds?!" we exclaimed. Five seconds were too little.

"If you fail, your mistake will disqualify you from participating in this year's hunter exam." She told us, ignoring our earlier reaction.

"You'll have to answer with 1 or 2. Any other answers will not be valid." She warned.

"Only 1 or 2?" she nodded.

"Okay, so what's the question?" Leslie asked her, rubbing her hands together and licking her dry lips, clearly excited. I nodded keenly in agreement.

"Your question is: Your mother and your boyfriend are captives of a demon. You can only save one and your boyfriend is a weakling whom you always protect. What is your answer? Your mother: 1 or your boyfriend: 2?" she asked us.

"Come to think of it, I think I'll come back next year, this question is too hard." Leslie said glumly.

"If you leave now, your friend will be disqualified too." Leslie stopped in her tracks.

"I will ask you this. Will you continue this quiz? If you accept: 1, if you don't: 2. Which one will you choose?" the old lady asked her.

"One!" I said quickly, not wanting to be disqualified. Leslie shot me a look and I clenched my fist.

"Please Bridget. I have to become a hunter." I told her. She seemed to understand.

"Fine…" she mumbled.

"Okay. This is your question. Your son and daughter have been kidnapped. You can only save one. For you son: 1 or your daughter: 2." She asked. It was basically the same as the last question.

"Obaa-san, we're too young to have children." I told her earnestly. She shrugged.

"Pretend you're older." She told me.

"But I'd prefer staying young." I said truthfully.

"Just do it. You only have five second to answer. 1," she began counting.

I looked at Bridget for an answer.

"4"

Leslie shook her head.

"3"

I started to panic. I inwardly sighed, maybe this character isn't fun to act out after all.

"2"

I crouched on the ground and rubbed my temples.

"1"

I closed my eyes in frustration.

"Congratulations! You gave the correct answer!" the old lady said cheerfully.

"Huh?" Bridget and I were dumbstruck.

"Silence was the right answer!" she told us.

"It was?" Bridget asked her. She nodded.

"And what would happen if this really did happen in real life?" I asked her. "What would I do then?"

"That's exactly why I asked you this question, to get you thinking about the situation. Good job on getting the correct answer." She exclaimed happily. Two of her minions shuffled to a wall and pulled a sliding door apart.

"This will lead you to the tree on the hill." She explained. "Good luck on the hunter exam, I think you two will make great hunters, don't fail."

"We won't disappoint you Obaa-san." Bridget and I said, saluting to her like a soldier. We walked towards the passage.

"We hope to meet you again." We told her. She nodded in a grandmotherly fashion.

"Me too."

**A/N:** Short chapter, I know need to go to bed, typing up next chapter tomorrow. Oh, and I'm skipping the bit about fox and going straight to when they enter the exam~


	4. 3: Another Girl x Hello x First Round

**Heartfelt Affection**

**Author's Note:** One review, yes! Congratulations to NiendaZoaldyeck for being the fist to review. So I skipped the rat fox bit, I can't be stuffed doing it. Hope you like this chapter. I'm absolutely sure I'm putting my other friends OC in this and they're going to meet Gon, Killua, Leorio and Kurapika as well. Yay!~

**My OC:**

Name: Tsukiko Kinoshita

Age: 12

Appearance: blue-gray hair with bangs tied into plaits and the rest up in a high ponytail tied with another two plaits, pale skin.

**First Friend's (the one who shares account) OC:**

Name: Echo Towaru

Age: 12

Appearance: silver hair tied into two side ponytails, bright aquamarine eyes, lightly tan skin.

**Second Friend's (the one who has no idea what Hunter X Hunter is, but adding anyway) OC:**

Current Name: Leslie Gale (she wanted a gay name and so I gave her one)

Real Name: Bridget Kuruta

Age: 12

Appearance: light blonde hair pulled into a high side ponytail, sapphire blue eyes, pale skin.

**Disclaimer:** Hunter X Hunter belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi.

**Chapter 3: Another Girl x Hello x First Round**

**Tsukiko P.O.V:**

"This way." The rat fox in his human appearance said.

"Wow…" Bridget and I said at the same time. The extremely high building took our breath away. It had so many storeys I couldn't count them all.

"No not that one, this one." He pointed to a small restaurant beside. Bridget's jaw practically hit the floor.

"Seriously?" she asked. Kiriko nodded. I shrugged.

"Makes sense, I mean, who would suspect a small restaurant to be the entrance to the exam?" I suggested to her.

"He's quite right." Kiriko said. We entered the restaurant and the chef and waitress welcomed us.

"Welcome! What can we do for you today?" they asked.

"These would like a steak combo." Kiriko replied. The cook smirked.

"How would you like it cooked?" he asked slyly.

"Carefully cooked under a weak flame." replied Kiriko.

_This must be some sort of password exchange. I've had to do a lot of them in the past._

I was snapped out of my thoughts by the chef who said, "Okay, go to the back."

"This way please!" the waitress said, leading us to the back room.

"We didn't come here to eat, we came to attend the hunter exam." whined Leslie.

"Shut up Lee-chan. I bet thousands of people who come from around the world that comes to participate fail this bit, so don't complain." I told her. She opened her mouth and closed it repetitively, deciding to be quiet after doing it a few times. Kiriko raised his brow.

"You're smarter than you look." He told me. I looked at the ceiling.

"Well, I lived life the hard way and learnt many things like you can either be the hunter or the prey. Face the cruel things in this world or continue to stay ignorant of them and many other things as well." I told him wisely. By then the waitress had led us to the back room and Kiriko said a quick goodbye and set off, leaving us to enter the room, but not before giving us a warning which could also be interpreted to be and compliment or information.

"One out of a thousand people can make it to the main hunter exam. You two are pretty good, considering this being your first time and that you're very young, but I bet you guys will be just fine," he turned to me, "After all, you're very experienced."

I smiled, knowing that he was complimenting me.

"Well then, good luck on the exam, if you fail this year, come back next year and I'll help you get to the main exam again." he told us.

"Thanks for the offer, but we'll definitely make it through, even though it's our first time." I said in a sudden serious tone combined with determination. He was slightly taken aback.

"Well, I have to go now. Oh, and take these." He tossed us number plates. My natural reflex had me unconsciously sticking my hand to catch it. I lifted it to the same level as my head and read the number.

'88'

I turned and tilted my head to Bridget and asked, "What number did you get?"

She lifted and showed me her number plate which had landed smack on her face.

"Number 96." She told me.

"Why didn't she get the number before me or after me?" I asked Kiriko just before he left. He shrugged.

"Quite unusual. I don't quite understand myself to." I knew he was telling the truth and he really, truly didn't know about the gap between our numbers, despite coming and entering the exam at the same time.

"Well then, bye." He said, holding out his hand. I took it and shook it politely.

"Goodbye and thank you Kiriko-san." I said. He nodded with a smile on his face and closed the door behind him. Bridget and I stood there in a daze for a moment before the ground beneath us trembled and we clutched each other to balance ourselves from the unexpected action. Then the room started going down. A light bulb appeared over my head.

"I get it now! It's an elevator used to transfer us to the main exam." I said triumphantly, stating the obvious. Bridget rolled her eyes.

"Obviously. I feel as though we just switched roles." She admitted. I laughed, "I think we did!"

We laughed for a while, but not as hard as we did on the boat.

"I really like elevators. They give you this nice feeling in your stomach." Leslie admitted. I gave her a weird look. She blushed and hid underneath her fringe.

"I know it sounds funny, but…you know what I mean, don't you?" she said in the end, unable to describe whatever she felt. I nodded.

"I understand what you mean." I told her. She gave a sigh of relief. After that, the elevator stopped. The opening slid open and we left it behind. There were very few people, up too at least Leslie's number. This got me even more confused to as why I got '88'. It was as though it was decided for me from the very start. The people already gathered there looked at us. Leslie shuddered beside me. I understood why though, even if I didn't react. After all, I was quite use to the feelings surrounding us. Each participant looked at us with eyes of hatred. It seemed like only serious people made it so far and each individual specialized in something they were an expert in.

"There are much less than I expected." I mused.

"It's because there is still a lot of time left till the exam starts." said a voice behind us. I turned around and an overweight man jumped out from behind.

"Yo, I'm Tompa." he introduced himself. He held out his hand. I stared at it quizzically, unable to decide whether or not I should trust this man. I knew he was uneasy as he turned to Bridget instead and offered her his hand. She was to busy observing him to notice his outstretched hand. He laughed awkwardly and continued talking.

"I'm number '16' this year." He told us.

"Number sixteen?" Leslie asked, cocking her head slightly to one side. He nodded and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well I've taken the hunter exam thirty-five times." He informed us.

"But you haven't passed anyone of them." I challenged.

"As expected of a fatty like him." Bridget snorted. I gave her one of my many infamous bone chilling glares (Tsuki-chan has many types of glares. There are: death, disgust, jealous, envious, etc… glares) which instantly shut her up and she cast her eyes onto her shoes and fidgeted nervously.

"You shouldn't be so rude Bridget." I scolded her.

"You seem quite mature for your age." Tompa said, drawing our attention back to the one whom we had soon forgotten all about.

"Really? I get that quite a lot." I told him.

"I'm impressed that rookies like you guys got here so early." He said with a smirk. I gave him a look that was different from a glare, but equally scary and could possibly paralyse someone.

"But we're not rookies we're actually quite experienced." I told him, a touch of insanity, cheerfulness and disgust combined with the sweet lilting honey tone in my voice. I gave him an adorable smile but the insanity in my eyes ruined it, making me look slightly like a yandere. He backed off with fear in his eyes.

"What's wrong Rei?" Bridget asked innocently. I switched my yandere mode off and reverted back to my normal mode which wasn't really my normal mode because of the normal guy act I had to keep up to give people the wrong impression of me and to underestimate me.

"Nothing." I told her. Tompa took this chance to continue to converse with us since my yandere mode was now off.

"Do you want to drink this? A toast to our meeting! Ask me anything if you have any troubles." He said, handing us two cans of drinks.

"Thanks!" Leslie said happily, accepting the drink I took the other one.

_She's more naïve and gullible than I thought. Or maybe she's just on hyper mode._

Bridget opened her can, making a fizzy noise of releasing gas into the atmosphere. She began to lift it to her lips to begin drinking, but I waved my hand in front of her to prevent her from pouring it into her mouth.

"Don't drink it yet. Let me try it out first. We have to be cautious, it might be tampered with." I warned her. She gave me a doubtful look.

"I guess it's better to only have one out rather than two, but…why are you the one to drink it?" she asked me with a pout. I smiled and a twinkle appeared in my eyes.

"I've built a resistance to poison and anything stronger or weaker than it, so I won't suffer the side-effects." I told her confidently. I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

"Anyways, it has a bad smell." I said, sniffing her can and pulling away in disgust.

"Okay then." She mumbled. I opened my can and it made the same kind of fizzing noise as Bridget's one. I took a sip and allowed my taste buds to examine the liquid to determine whether or not it was okay for Leslie to drink. I narrowed my eyes after I realized the all too familiar taste and dropped mine onto the floor, the contents spilling out. I made a quick grab for Leslie's one and swallowed it in one gulp, some of it leaking out of my mouth and staining my shirt. I threw the can onto the ground and glared at Tompa in disgust.

"Good thing you didn't drink it Bridget. That thing was full of laxative. It left such a foul taste in my mouth." I told her, trying to spit the taste out. I rolled my tongue in my mouth and grabbed Bridget by the arm.

"We shouldn't trust him. He's going to try making us fail." I told her. She nodded and looked back at Tompa. I had no idea what happened, but Tompa backed away and gulped nervously and never bothered the two of us again after our mini encounter. We blended into the shadows and moved stealthily, away from prying eyes. We leaned against the wall and Bridget slid down to the ground, shifting into a comfortable position. She took off her duffel bag and placed it carefully beside herself. She glanced at me with surprise.

"Wait. You have three duffel bags and I never noticed it till now and you've also been carrying it all this time and haven't even got a stiff or sore shoulder?" she asked, eyes widening in shock. I shrugged like it was no big deal and took off one of the duffel bags – the one containing most of my belongings – but I continued to carry the other two.

"Well that lifted some weight off my shoulder." I said, rolling my shoulders to make it more relaxed. She stared at my bag which had made a very loud thump when it landed and made an impact.

"How much does it weigh?" Leslie asked me. I shrugged.

"Dunno. Check it out for yourself." I suggested. She slipped one arm through the strap and lifted it, well tried to lift it. She flushed as she was unable to lift up the bag and soon failed as she had no energy left.

"How can you pick that up? I can't even move it an inch!" she exclaimed in a tired voice. I smirked and chuckled.

"It's probably because you've had no training or I've trained too much." I reasoned.

"I think it's because I've never trained." said Leslie thoughtfully. I sweat dropped.

"How the hell did you even make it this far then?!" I asked her with surprise.

"Dunno. Because you helped me?" her statement turned into a question. I shook my head sadly.

"You won't last very long." I told her. I didn't want to lose my new friend, I mean, acquaintance. An idea soon formed in my head.

"I know, I'll train you during the exam!" I told her excitedly.

"Really?" she asked me, a gleam in her eyes. I nodded vigorously.

"Yay!" she gave a little enthusiastic clap, not wanting to draw unwanted attention.

"Anyway, I think you should rest a bit. Judging by how far our voices echo in this tunnel, I suspect the first round will be endurance, so you should rest to store up your energy." I informed her. She nodded and fell asleep in a few minutes.

I glanced around, observing the other participants. There was one who caught my attention for some odd reason. He had red hair and dressed like a joker with a teardrop painted on his left cheek and a star on his right one. I couldn't take my eyes off him until I saw him muscles tense and began looking our way, but I had already directed my gaze somewhere else, and it wasn't like he could see us when we were one with the shadows, but should still be cautious. I watched as more filled the tunnel. One boy in particular who had come after three people since Leslie and I got here had my focus on him. He had silver coloured hair which made me think of an old person at first and he had icy blue eyes. He also carried a skate board. I couldn't shake off the feeling that I'd seen him somewhere before. I shook my head and once again began to observe the others so I could find out their weaknesses and strengths to make everything for myself easier. I made sure to avoid the two males mentioned earlier though.

When I got a feeling that the first round was going to begin soon, I woke up Bridget up and told her to prepare as I opened the duffel bag which I had dumped on the floor beside her and the same one which she had used as a pillow. I got out another pair of shoes with really thick soles and exchanged them with the converses I was currently wearing. I put my converses into the bag carefully and stood up to stretched.

Just when I thought no more participants would make it anymore, The elevator door had once again open to reveal a boy no older than me with spiky black hair that had green tips and brown eyes clothed in a green turtle neck with red outlines and matching shorts with brownish-black boots (not sure what colour Gon's boots were) and in his hands he held a fishing pole. Another person with him was an old dude with spiky hair who wore those funny circular shades and dressed himself in a suit with a suitcase in hand making him look like a business man who was about thirty or forty something. There was also a teenager who I assumed was aged around sixteen or seventeen with blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore a blue cape with a golden design and martial art clothes underneath. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tompa advance them and strike a friendly conversation with him, telling them about who to avoid and who they should watch out for. Halfway through the conversation, a guy who I had recognized as Nicole due to him talking openly with everyone to boast about his knowledge and get cocky about it, had come up to them to warn them about Tompa, well what I thought was warn because of his personality, and left straight after that. Tompa offered them the same canned drinks he offered to us and I felt a stroke of sympathy for them. But to my surprise, the boy about my age poured it into his mouth but let it dribble out of his mouth as he said that it tasted very bad afterwards and asked if it was expired. His companions spilled the contents of their drink out and I was amazed at the strong bond that had already formed between the three of them when they must have surely met during their journey here.

Then an ear-piercing scream pierced the air. Everybody had their attention drawn to the scene which was being committed by the man dressed up as a joker. He used a card to slice another participants two arms off and caught the said card between his fingers.

"Let's be careful. Apologize if you bump into someone~ (can't be stuffed writing the symbols in decks of cards)" he told the man whose arms were cut off. I glanced at Bridget from the corner of my eye, expecting her to whimper or something and was amazed to find her indulging herself in the newspaper she had brought with her. Suddenly she looked up and tugged my hoodie's sleeve and pulled me down.

"What's wrong Bridget?" I asked her, puzzled by her actions. She pointed to a head line and motioned for me to continue reading.

**Mansion Burnt Down**

_The Towaru mansion was burnt down a few days before. Investigators have been searching for clues to find out who could have possibly committed such treachery to the family who had served the land well for many years. Even though the head of the family was a girl, she was also the last surviving member. Now she too has perished. However, when people had gone to pick up the dead bodies, this young twelve year-old heiress's body was no where to be found. This leaves people puzzled. If someone took her body, why did they take it? And where? It is possible that the fire had been merciless enough to burn into ashes which had been blown away by the wind? Or is it because she's still alive? Many hope and believe that she is still alive for her personal maid's body was found not far from the premises of the house. What leaves people even more puzzled is how the maid did not even bleed, so how did she die? This will remain a mystery for maybe perhaps forever._

"That's so sad." Leslie said, her face reflecting her words and emotions. Then I spotted another article with bigger headlines on the cover when Leslie closed and froze. I quickly skimmed through it before Leslie put it away to make sure I wasn't dreaming, and I wasn't. The headlines produced something that meant a lot to me.

**Assassin Found Dead**

_The assassin that has been renowned as the second best assassin in the world was found dead the other day by his next client. He specialized in underground assassinations for the underground society. It was also believed that he had a partner who helped him as well and that their gender is female and she did most of the assassination attempts. The last one assassination attempted by this lady was done during the opening of a new structure where the man who opened it was shot from an impossible angle and the bullet had penetrated through his skull, fracturing it and nobody saw. Nobody saw this horrifying assassin who was acting as a sniper that day. It was only during later investigations that a perfectly circular hole that could only have been made by a bullet was found on the glass dome at the top of the building. Now back to the assassin found dead in his own home, he was found dead on the floor in his study. Most people think that the murderer is his partner. What puzzles investigators is the fact that when they looked through the rooms, there was a feminine child's bedroom decorated with purple, blue and black found. As the investigators checked the wardrobe, they were unable to find any evidence that the assassin had sheltered a young girl in his home. It couldn't have been a hostage as they would have found her body. The wardrobe was thoroughly cleared out, showing no signs of anybody living there. The only evidence that was obvious that a young girl had been there was the small bloody footprints that had stained the carpet of most of the house, however, that trail soon disappeared. Now investigators suspect something else, could the female partner assassin have been a young girl?_

As I finished reading, the sound of elevator doors opening made me snap my head up incredulously at who could have possibly made it in this short amount of time we had left. And to my surprise, a girl the same age as me with silver hair tied into two pigtails and a headband with ribbons on the side and a rose attached to it stepped out. She had mischievous blue eyes that had dancing blue specks and a cheeky smile. However, her smile was in the shape of a frown at the moment. And now I officially believe in the phrase, 'Turn your frown, upside down!', because that was exactly what happened to her when she spotted us. She quickly glided her way over to us easily, swiftly and graciously. When she reached us, her grin widened. Suddenly, she took my two hands and shook then violently, jumping up and down with excitement.

"Thank goodness there are other children besides me! I thought I was the only one. Even if I did spot other children, none of them were my age!" she exclaimed, I had to strain my ears to hear everything and I considered it a miracle that I actually heard everything. She squeaked really quickly, almost fast enough for the human ear to be able to not form the words and I was surprised that she was not breathless by the end of what she said.

"…okay…" I drawled. I sweat dropped. She was the type of person who had a contagious happiness.

"Hello. Nice to meet you, I'm Leslie Gale, but call me Bridget, it's my real one." Leslie announced introducing herself right off the bat to the girl. I bet that the girl was already infecting Leslie. She was more giddy then usual. As the girl was about to introduce herself, an alarm sounded throughout the tunnel, alerting everybody. I knew that this was the sign for the first round to begin.

"It's starting." I murmured. Leslie and the girl nodded silently. I then caught sight of what was causing the racket and saw the examiner after that as he magically lowered himself down. He had curly purplish hair and a matching curly moustache. I then realized I couldn't spot a mouth, but heard him talking anyway, which sort of freaked me out despite how I was almost always silent.

"Reception time is over." He announced. Everybody moved out of the way to make room for him.

"Now, we'll begin the hunter exam." He continued as his shoes touched the ground.

"This way please." He said, glancing back and then turning to face the front. He began walking and everybody made room for him once again.

"OK. Just for clarification," he began, "The hunter exam is very harsh. If you're unlucky or if you're lacking ability, you'll get injured or die." He informed.

"Only those who don't mind, please follow me." He told everyone. Everybody began moving. No one wanted to back out. Even though there was a serious atmosphere, the new girl was still able to introduce herself to me.

"Hi I'm Echo! Number 406." She whispered to me. She cocked her head to one side, "How about you?"

"I'm Rei Yasamana. Number 88." I told her, barely glancing at her. This resulted in her pouting. I felt someone's attention on me and I turned to face it, barely catching the boy I realized who had number '99' staring at me intently just then. I decided to ignore it.

**Later On:**

We had been walking for a long time and no one had dropped out yet. I yawned.

"This is getting boring. I was hoping it would be more exciting than this." I said lazily, catching attention from the people around me. Then people started walking more briskly. This caught my attention.

_The pace is quickening._

Soon people were jogging, then running.

"It's a late introduction, but I am…" the examiner began speaking after a long time, "Satotsu, the person in charge of the first exam."

"I will now lead everyone to the second exam centre." He informed. This earned confused noises from some of the participants.

"Some of you have already realized," he started, "That you have to follow me to the second exam centre."

"This is the first exam." He stated. The pace then quickened a lot.

**30 Minutes Later:**

We were still running and I saw that many people were starting to get tired. Leslie was panting slightly though. I still considered the amount of distance she ran incredible since she didn't have any training at all. Echo on the other hand, hasn't even broken a sweat like me! I was very surprised at this.

"Good thing I told you to rest." I told Leslie. She nodded, not wanting to waste any energy on words. I turned to Echo.

"How can you run so far?" I asked her. She grinned. I swear, she is infecting even more people than the last time.

"I ran really far distances when I was younger, and I had to run very, very far a few days ago. I'm just glad my running didn't get rusty." She said with relief.

"Hey you, kid. That's not fair. That's cheating." A male voice complained. I recognized the voice to be the voice of participant 403. Now Echo had diverted her attention to that guy and his group. Her eyes lightened up.

"Hey look! There are two boys the same age as us!" Echo exclaimed. She turned around and started running back, surprising the men around us.

"Let's go meet them!" she suggested enthusiastically. I shook my head.

"No thanks, but we'll stay close in case." I promised her. She nodded and began running faster to catch up to the two boys our age. The silver haired boy was riding on a skateboard. I turned around and motioned for Bridget to hurry closer to Echo. She shook her head.

"Come on. I promised her. And you can also go back to running normally when we reach her." I reasoned with her. She scowled and huffed indignantly before giving in and hurrying up. We reached Echo in no time and she was already conversing with the group of men.

"Oh, Rei-kun! Bridget-chan! Meet Gon, Killua, Kurapika and Leorio!" she said, introducing us to the group. I scowled.

"Rei, come talk with us." She said. I shook my head, remaining silent and decided to use my hidden cheat which I had reserved for this challenge. I clicked the heels of my shoes together and my shoes sprouted wheels. I was now rollerblading with the concealed wheels hidden in my shoe. I motioned to Bridget to jump onto my back which took quite a while because she had to recover from shock. After she did, she jumped on my back and I began to piggy-back her. I started to skate to the front when I heard Leorio whine, "You're cheating too!"

I shrugged. It wasn't against the rules and you were allowed to bring items along with you. I ignored his complaint and continued to the front. I ended up next to Satotsu and began to strike a conversation with him after putting Bridget back on ground since she had a nice long rest on my back and had now regained enough energy to run again.

"So how long have you been a hunter for Satotsu-san?" I asked him.

"Quite a long time." He replied. I pouted it wasn't the answer I was looking for. I wanted him to be more specific. I was just about to ask him that when I smelt something sweet. I sniffed the air some more before I was completely sure.

"There seems to be a sweet coming from the right tunnel up ahead." I said.

"We must turn left at the fork, I recognize that scent, and believe me. You do not want to witness the effects of that plant. It gives you hallucinations which seem really real which are illusions to do with your most frightening past memory. It's the Delusion Cedar Plant, something once used by assassins'" I informed Bridget. She nodded, puzzled at how I knew all this.

**3 Hours Later:**

"What?! Another fork?!" complained Bridget.

"Shut up! Stop complaining, it's getting really annoying." I told her. She shut up. I tensed.

"It's that scent again." I murmured. Then I thought I heard something.

"Hey, did you hear something like a scream from somewhere in the tunnel we left behind?" I asked. Bridget shook her head. She was improving quickly on stamina. I shrugged.

"I guess I was just hearing things." I said. Silence fell after that. After some more time, more started failing.

"Can't do it anymore", "Too tired" and many other things were said when people started dropping out like flies.

"They've got bad stamina." I said. Even though I was roller-skating, I could have easily caught up to Satotsu and even run passed him. At least Leslie was keeping up a good pace. She was use to running for so long that she was now able to speak properly without huffing or puffing it out like before. She was no longer flushed and her face colour had returned to normal. She was no longer sweating with perspiration like before too. I glanced behind and saw that there were very few people left. I saw the self-proclaimed ninja and decided I wanted to have a chat with him.

"Brisget, stay up here with Satotsu-san, I'm going to talk to that ninja guy." I told her.

"Kay" she replied. I slowed down and waited for the ninja guy to intercept with me. When he did, I matched his pace and we began conversing.

"Hi, I'm Rei Yasamana, you?" I asked him, cocking my head slightly to one side.

"Hi, nice to meet someone who doesn't give up so easily, I'm Hanzo." He announced. Then he noticed my shoes were now roller-skates.

"Isn't that cheating?" he asked.

"Nope. There wasn't anything in the rules that said we couldn't bring stuff. And I'm still using my legs anyway, just not moving it as much." I said. He nodded.

"I guess you're right. Hey, you're smart you know?" he told me. I flashed him a dazzling smile.

"I'll take that as a compliment." I said.

"Get Out Of My Way!" said the voice I recognized as Tompa's. I glanced back and shot him a killing death glare..

"Touch me, and I'll give you the worst pain imaginable." I told him, narrowing my eyes.

"I won't allow myself to be threatened by a newbie, much less a child." He smirked and prepared to kick me down. As soon as he touched me, I turned around with lightning speed and twisted his foot, fracturing it, and threw him back into the crowd behind me, howling in pain.

"Serves him right. That ought to teach him a lesson, and it also slows him down." I snorted. I got many horrifying looks from most of the other people. They slowed down to give me more room.

"Good reaction and reflex." Hanzo told me, nodding his head.

"Why thank you. I think we'll get along quite well." I told him. The tunnel then started shaking.

"Is someone doing tunnel construction?" Hanzo asked to no one in particular.

"I doubt it." I replied, answering his question. Then a crack formed in the wall and it started growing larger and larger. Then there was a loud explosion which destroyed the wall and forced people off their feet. Of course I stayed right where I was even though I was directly in front of it.

Then Killua, along with his skateboard jumped out, followed by Gon and his fishing rod, Kurapika and Echo jumping out and Leorio falling randomly from above.

"What the hell happened?" I asked Echo.

"Long story." She said. She was going to begin storytelling time when I put my hand in front of her to plead for silence.

"I'd rather not hear it at all then." I told her. She pouted.

"Stingy…" she said.

"I know I am." I told her with a smirk.

"Just what happened here?" demanded Satotsu. Gon rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ah, sorry. We broke the wall a little bit." apologised Gon.

"That's not what I mean. You were able to make it back from the path of delusions. Impressive." praised Satotsu. Leorio caught sight of Tompa and stomped up to him angrily. He started to argue with him, only to be stopped by Gon and Kurapika. We then resumed our run. I decided to return next to Satotsu since it seemed safer. After a while, Satotsu had something to announce.

"Now everyone," he began, "It is almost the last phase. I'm going to increase my pace a little."

There were groans as basically everybody knew that Satotsu's 'little' was big for them. We could then see the exit and everyone ran there with their last spurt of energy. I saw Gon, Killua and Echo conversing and moved on ahead.

When everybody got outside, Satotsu introduced where we were.

"This place is Numele Swamp," he said, "Also Swindler's Roost"

"To get to the second exam centre, we must pass through here." He explained.

"There are many rare animals that only exist here. Many of them trick people in order to eat them. They're cunning and greedy animals." He warned. The exit to the tunnel then began to close, mercilessly leaving any who didn't make it behind.

"Please be very careful and follow me." Satotsu instructed, "If you get tricked, you'll die."

"Funny thing to say. If we know we're gonna be tricked, how can we be tricked?" asked Leorio.

"He's Lying!" shouted a scratched voice, "That Guy Is Lying!"

An injured man stepped out holding a bag containing a person with there tongue sticking out.

"He's A Fake!" he accused Satotsu, pointing an accusing finger as well, "He's not the examiner, I am the real examiner!"

People were now confused and kept asking questions not knowing what to do. I rolled my eyes. It was quite obvious who was real. I couldn't believe that they didn't know Satotsu was the real one. I gave a sigh of annoyance.

**A/N:** Wow. Such a long chapter! I guess this was meant to be compensation for the last chapter? I know the OCs' are on the side line too much, I just want to slowly include them in because Tsuki-chan is the suspicious type who doesn't trust everyone at first glance. Oh and for those people who don't know what a yandere is, I shall explain. A yandere is a type of person who puts up a cute façade, but would go crazy, and possibly kill because of something to do with the one they love. For e.g. = Alois Trancy from Kuroshitsuji. I hope you like this chapter. If you do, wait patiently for the next one~


	5. 4: Imposter x Mist x Hisoka

**Heartfelt Affection**

**Author's Note:** Whoops. I re-uploaded it after realizing I forgot to put in the author's note. I fixed a few mistakes, can't guarantee all of them. Well, hope the people who are reading this enjoy the chapter. So then…I think I'll just stop bothering you and let you continue reading now…

**My OC:**

Name: Tsukiko Kinoshita

Age: 12

Appearance: blue-gray hair with bangs tied into plaits and the rest up in a high ponytail tied with another two plaits, pale skin.

**First Friend's (the one who shares account) OC:**

Name: Echo Towaru

Age: 12

Appearance: silver hair tied into two side ponytails, bright aquamarine eyes, lightly tan skin.

**Second Friend's (the one who has no idea what Hunter X Hunter is, but adding anyway) OC:**

Current Name: Leslie Gale (she wanted a gay name and so I gave her one)

Real Name: Bridget Kuruta

Age: 12

Appearance: light blonde hair pulled into a high side ponytail, sapphire blue eyes, pale skin.

**Disclaimer:** Hunter X Hunter belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi.

**Chapter 4: Imposter x Mist x Hisoka**

**Tsukiko P.O.V:**

"A fake?" people kept asking. I sighed. It was quite obvious that if Satotsu didn't eat us when he had the opportunity to during the entire first round, then he couldn't possibly be an imposter. The only thing I could come up with was that the other guy who claimed to be the real examiner was probably a past participant who couldn't complete the second round.

"Which is the real examiner?" people murmured. No one else seemed to know who the real examiner was. They were all idiots in my opinion.

"Hey Rei, who do you think is the real examiner?" Echo and Bridget asked me. An anime sweat drop appeared on my head along with a funny smile.

_Oh wait. Of course these two won't know who is who…_

Now the two examiners stared at each other. Satotsu with a calm face and the other with a pained expression, making sounds which told people he was hurt.

_He couldn't possibly the examiner, much less a hunter. If he was, Satotsu wouldn't have even been able to beat him in the first place._

I shook my head in disgust. Everyone was suspicious. Then Leorio stood in front of the 'real' imposter and asked him, "Hey old man! Prove that he's the fake" and pointed behind himself at Satotsu.

_He tells other people who are young than him to respect him when he doesn't respect people older than him. What a hypocrite!_

"Look at this!" said the imposter. And he threw the bag he was holding on the ground. Everybody gasped as they stared at the figure now lying on the ground.

"What is that?" everybody whispered amongst themselves. The figure, in my opinion, looked like a monkey and its' face was kind of similar to Satotsu's.

"Is that a beast?" someone asked. Then a man stepped forward looking shocked.

"Hey… that face. It looks just like the examiner's face!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah." agreed the imposter, "This is the human-faced monkey that lives in Numele Swamp."

"It takes the form of a person and ingeniously tricks people, then lures them into their traps." He informed us.

"He is one of the human-faced monkeys!" he accused Satotsu, "He's trying to get all the candidates killed…to eat you all!"

"What?!" Leorio asked with surprise. I rolled my eyes.

"Now that you mention it, it does seem true." said Hanzo suspiciously.

_Not him too._

"Ne Rei. I believe baldy. They do look alike." Echo said. I stared at her, wide eyed in amazement. How could she possibly believe that just for that one petty reason that they looked alike?

"Hey, who's a baldy?!" shouted Hanzo with a throbbing vein.

"You." said Echo innocently. I sweat dropped.

_How could she say that so openly, and in front of that very person too?_

"No wonder. The way he ran the marathon… I thought it was too farfetched." Leorio said.

"Not really. I could have done what he did easily." I told everyone out loud. Everyone ignored the statement and began advancing on Satotsu. I pouted.

_Seriously, I now feel like killing them._

"I wonder… Is this part of the hunter exam?" Gon asked from somewhere in the crowd. Everyone froze and Leorio made his way to him.

"Hey Gon, you'd know. Wouldn't you?" Leorio asked Gon in a low whisper. "With your animal-like instincts." He added.

"No, not at all." Gon replied bluntly. Leorio's face drooped and I felt like busting out laughing, but I was able to subdue it.

"Not at all." Leorio repeated in a splutter.

"I don't smell anything. They seem really well disguised." admitted Gon.

"Is that so?"

"There is a way to determine who is real." Kurapika informed everyone, stepping out of the crowd.

"The real examiner should have a hunter license card." He told everyone. That was true.

"License card?" Gon asked truthfully. I felt like falling face plant on the floor in amazement. If he was participating in the exam, surely he would know what the hunter license card is.

"Only a hunter can tell if another person is a hunter by their hunter's license." Kurapika informed Gon.

"So that means he's a hunter?" Gon asked, facing Satotsu, "Awesome!"

"He stole my card!" exclaimed the imposter, "I was attacked by surprise and he took everything."

"I see." said Kurapika.

"Then…" began Leorio, "Having a card couldn't prove either one."

Suddenly, cards from a deck appeared out of nowhere and flew in the directions of the imposter and Satotsu. The imposter fell to the floor dead and Satotsu caught the ones aiming for him between his fingers.

"I see, I see." A masculine voice said. The sound of a deck of cards flying from one hand to another could be heard. A cold sweat broke out on my neck as I recognized the voice. I turned around reluctantly to see the man dressed as a joker

"Wh-why'd you do that?" stuttered Leorio.

"This way it's much faster." Hisoka told him. I had to agree with him. If the imposter couldn't catch it, then he obviously wasn't the real examiner. I sensed Bridget and Echo shuddering behind me. Probably not use to the sight of a dead person.

_They might as well suck it up. If they're going to become hunters, they're going to be looking at lots of dead bodies._

Suddenly the monkey being began moving which made Echo and Bridget freak out.

"Gah! It's still moving!" Echo exclaimed with dread visible on her face. This made several people look at her, but the majority continued to gaze at the monkey man thing that had begun moving. Hisoka pulled out a card and threw a perfect shot. A head shot to be more precise. The monkey man fell down with a 'plop'.

"That settles everything." Hisoka claimed, "You're the real one…Mr. Examiner."

"A hunter which we're all trying to become should be able to block that simple attack." He said.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Satotsu told Hisoka, "But… Anymore acts of violence towards the examiner, for any reason, will result in you failing. Understood?"

Hisoka grinned, "Yes, yes."

He stepped out of the crowd and continued moving forward. I saw the guy who Echo had claimed was Killua proceeded over to Gon's side and Kurapika, I think, started saying something with a quizzical expression. I could've heard what they were sawing if I tried, but I didn't want to have anything to do with them, so I ignored them.

"Don't grieve for it. These animals risk their lives to trick each other. On daily bases anyway." Satotsu explained, suddenly appearing next to Gon when he saw Gon staring at the monkey. Then vultures swooped down and started pecking the monkey. Many more then joined and it soon became a crowd.

"Eat or be eaten. That's the rule in this swamp." Satotsu said. He turned around to begin leading the participants again, "Now, shall we go ahead?" he asked, "To the second exam base."

He led us into the forest, him walking briskly with me next to him and the rest running behind. As we continued deeper into the swamp, a thick veil of mist began surrounding us. At first it was just swirling around out legs, making some people trip because they were unable to see what was on the ground. Then it began climbing higher, and higher. Soon it reached our necks and formed over our heads, deeming some of us unable to see. If you wanted to make it past, you had to stay near the front.

You also needed to stay at the front so you wouldn't be murdered by #44, Hisoka.

"Kurapika! Leorio! Bridget! Rei! Killua says we should go ahead more." I heard Gon shout through the mist. I giggled imagining the expression on Killua's face because he was to type to remain silent about his plans, and Gon was doing just the exact opposite. Well, that's what my opinion was after judging him. I lost focus and stumbled a bit after loosing my footing and concentration. By the time I looked up again, several people had passed me. I shouldn't have giggled. I was now in the middle of the running crowd. I swore under my breath and decided to run along side Echo who was most likely somewhere around here. I didn't want to hang around the back where I was in danger of being a possible target for Hisoka. I bit my lip hard and accidentally drew blood.

"Dumbass! If I could, I would've already done just that!" Leorio yelled back his reply. I giggled a bit more and was somehow now level with Gon and Killua who were with Echo. I jogged over to them.

"Hi Echo." I greeted Echo. I cocked my head to one side, "And Gon and Killua too."

"Rei, the way you said it made them sound like extras." Echo said hurtfully. As if that actually bothered me.

"Oh…I'm sorry. I'll try to be more social and kinder next time." I apologized in a fake apologetic voice, after all, I didn't mean it, but I guess I should still try.

"Don't worry about it!" Gon said cheerfully, a little _too_ happy for my liking. I sweat dropped. He was kind of like Echo. I guess this is what people mean when they say: 'they fit like two peas in a pod'. Killua just shrugged. He was more anti-social than me, maybe equal. He didn't trust me, so he probably won't talk to me. Not like I cared or anything (yeah, but what if this happened in the future Tsuki-chan? :P). Then the mist draped over us, making our limited vision even blurrier.

"We should move up to the front." I told them.

"I'll wait for Leorio, Kurapika and Bridget." Gon said stubbornly.

"Me too." Echo said in a voice that reflected his. I shrugged.

"Suit yourself." I quickened my pace. After a while, I felt guilty about leaving them behind. I also wanted to check up on Bridget too to make sure she was okay. There must seriously be something wrong with me lately. I felt like I've…changed. I shook my head. It couldn't be true.

_I haven't changed. I only want them to accompany me since I would be like a loner if I don't and I feel like talking to someone along the way._ I told myself. But for some reason, I didn't really believe that was real myself.

I slowed my pace and waited for them to catch up. I had no idea why I was doing this anymore. When my pace slackened, I heard flutters and felt something like wings brush against my cheek. I instinctively covered my nose and mouth, allowing myself to breathe limited amount of oxygen. I looked about. A huge swam of the same creature were heading my way. Moths. I covered my head protectively, but continued running forward, returning back to my original pace. I could only hope they were okay. Wait, why was I thinking like this? After the moths disappeared, a scream was heard in the distance. Most people stopped, wondering whose scream it was, including me. The people who continued running left us behind. Soon only the people who had stopped running were standing here. I was able to spot Gon, Killua and Echo in this crowd of few. I was relieved and began making my way over to them.

"Someone must've gotten tricked." I heard Killua say.

"That's definitely what happened." I told them with certainty. It was quite obvious.

"I suggest we go back to help Kurapika, Leorio and Bridget. We don't know what could've happened to them. Maybe it was one of them who screamed." I said.

"Hey, hey, nobody's following us anymore." I heard from one of the three brothers.

"Now that just made me even more worried." I murmured. I heard the sound of bombs going off. I was now desperate to save Bridget. I don't really care about the other two. I hardly even know them (wow. That's harsh Tsuki-chan o.O). I began running back. After a while, I heard footsteps behind me. I heard a few screams in distance ahead of me.

"Rei-kun!" I recognized the voice which shouted to be Gon's. I slowed down, allowing him to catch up to me before returning to the pace I was running at before.

"Call me Rei, not Rei-kun. There's no need for formalities between us. But we shouldn't be talking about that now. We have to save them!" I corrected Gon, suddenly including his two companions' with Bridget.

"Eh…is that so? Mito-san always taught me to be polite and use my manners." He informed me. I rolled my eyes. Right now we should be more worried about the three people we were running to save than rather discuss what this 'Mito-san' taught him.

"Just called me Rei anyway and I'll call you Gon." I told him. He gave me a nod of acknowledgment. We reached a clearing and saw Leorio…fighting with Hisoka. He had no chance of winning and Hisoka already had him pinned down. Suddenly Gon shot out his fishing rod which surprised me. The fishing rod punched Hisoka's face like a real fist punching him. Even though I was slightly scared, I felt like laughing at the sight. I had to suppress the laughter which was rising inside me. I bit my lip in the process of being scared and trying not to laugh, making it prickle with blood slightly. Hisoka released Leorio and stood in a weird pose as Gon reeled back the fishing rod.

"You're pretty good, boy." Hisoka praised Gon when he turned to look at him. His voice sent shivers down my spine.

"A fishing rod?" he continued quizzically, "That's an interesting choice of weapon. Can you let me see it…For a while?"

_Ugh. He sounds like a paedophile. Acts like one too. Actually, he seems more like a yandere… Wait Kari! Why are you thinking about this in a situation as dire as this? _

Hisoka began approaching us. I planted my feet firm on the ground and tensed my muscle, getting ready to attack or run if needed. Gon tightened his grip on the rod.

"Your opponent…" Leorio began as he started running towards Hisoka, "Is Me!"

Hisoka merely spared him a glance and automatically punched him in the face. Gon began running forward. I stayed in my spot. Gon charged with his rod, but hesitated when he saw the look in Hisoka's eyes, Hisoka's hand clamped around his throat. I miraculously began moving my feet forward, taking slow cautious steps towards them.

"You came to help your friend?" Hisoka asked him. Gon gritted his teeth as Hisoka's murderous look began looking more dangerous than before. "What a good boy."

Hisoka stared intensely at Gon before smiling. "Yeah, you pass." He said.

_Huh?_

I was dumbstruck. He released his grip on Gon.

"Oh my, my." Hisoka exclaimed to Kurapika who had returned. He most likely sensed him approaching, "You came back, how wonderful!"

"So the saying 'Everyone should have a friend' is true." Kurapika turned and looked at Leorio who lay on the ground twitching. Suddenly Hisoka pulled out a phone from his pocket and held it to his ear.

"Okay. I'll be there." He replied to the speaker on the other end of the phone. He put his phone away and picked up Leorio.

"Don't worry. I didn't kill him because he passed too." Hisoka told Gon.

"What do you mean?" Gon questioned him, "Give Leorio back!"

"If you want him back," Hisoka turned around, "Follow me."

Hisoka then ran into the mist, carrying Leorio on his shoulder. After he disappeared from sight, Gon dropped to his knees and I rushed over to him. Gon placed a hand on his chest and heaved. Then Kurapika rushed over.

"Gon! Are you alright?" he asked worriedly. He stood up.

"I don't think we can catch up to him now." I stated, trying to calculate the distance of how far he'd probably already run.

"It's okay. I can sniff him out." Gon told us.

"Wait you can- Gon, are you a dog or something." I tried joking.

"Maybe." He answered. He cocked his head to one side and sniffed. I sweat dropped. I didn't expect him to take it so seriously.

"So are you sniffing out Hisoka and Leorio?" I asked him, leaning forward. He shook his head.

"Nope. I'm trying to sniff out Bridget-chan." He told me. A horrible realization then struck me. During all the excitement, I had forgotten all about Bridget, even though she was the reason I had left the rest of the group in the first place.

"That way." He announced, pointing west. We began looking around with Gon's enhanced smelling ability. I could do it too, except it was too embarrassing. We soon found Bridget resting in a sitting position, leaning against a tree. Sure she had a few cuts and bruises, but she was still in walking condition. I rushed over to her and knelt beside her, beginning to fuss over her like a mother over a child. I helped her to her feet. She wobbled for a moment and steadied herself with the tree to regain her balance. Gon sniffed the air again, trying to make out a particular scent. He shook his head.

"Um…Sorry guys, I lost their smell." he said nervously, rubbing a hand behind his head. I chuckled. Kurapika groaned

"You shouldn't laugh. Now we'll never make it out or pass the hunter exam." Kurapika scolded me with a scowl. I grinned.

"That's where you're wrong. We just have to look for a trail to lead us back to the main group. I remember passing through here on our way, so I think we might be able to complete this challenge. I'm one of those people who trust in my instincts. And let me tell you something. My instincts have never failed me before. Why would they now?" I turned around and scanned the area before they could reply. My eyes soon picked up something that was out of the ordinary. Using my tracking skills, we soon found our way to where the rest of the group was. During the way back, we had a conversation.

"Hey, what do you think he meant by Leorio and I pass?" Gon asked. It was clearly obvious 'he' was Hisoka.

"I dunno. It seems pretty significant if you asked me. I think I would be relieved if he said that to me for some weird reason. I feel so neglected he paid me no attention. It went all to you, Kurapika and Leorio." I concluded with a shrug and a joke about being neglected at the end. We talked about some other things and were back with the main group in no time.

"Hey guys! You okay?" Echo asked running up to us with worry. Killua followed behind her calmly.

"Yeah, just encountered a few misfortunes along the way." I said. "It's a good thing we made it here just before the second round was about to start."

Echo nodded in agreement with the rest of us. A loud 'bang' went off and we faced Satotsu who created the noise.

"Times up!" he announced, "Everyone did a nice job. This, Bisuka Forest Park, is the second exam base."

"Where are Leorio and Hisoka?" Gon wondered aloud. Gon suddenly turned his head and saw Hisoka incline his hand towards our left. He followed the direction his hand was pointing at and our eyes landed on Leorio. We walked over to him. Leorio had a gigantic lump on his face from when Hisoka punched him. He winced in agony as he squinted open his eyes.

"What happened?" he asked. I inclined my head, ignoring the conversation which was now beginning with Leorio.

"It's beginning." I murmured, "The second exam."

As if on queue, the heavy gates where the exam was to take place began to swing open.

**A/N:** Sorry for the long update. I was updating other fanfics and it took me a long time to type this. I had to watch the episode as I was typing and I'm not meant to be on today and I'm pretending I'm doing homework. Anyhow, I need to go to bed now. Please leave a review, it would make me very happy and I would know all my hard-work was worth it ^.^


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